Cellulosic ethanol farm gets started

Switchgrass planted, idea is to avoid fuel vs. food competition

The Associated Press
updated 3:11 p.m. CT, Tues., June. 17, 2008

GUYMON, Okla. - Work has started on the planting of a 1,000-acre switchgrass field in the Oklahoma Panhandle that researchers plan to use in the production of cellulosic ethanol.

The field is being touted as the world's largest for switchgrass, a drought-resistant perennial plant that grows even on marginal lands. Scientists at the Noble Foundation in Ardmore are overseeing the project and hope that switchgrass proves to be a viable substitute for corn in ethanol production.

Hitch Enterprises, a Panhandle-based company, began planting the field earlier this month. Smaller fields of switchgrass also will be planted in central Oklahoma near Chickasha and Maysville.

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Switchgrass has been often mentioned as a potential source material, assuming that the breakdown of cellulosic plants can be made sufficiently efficient. As noted above, there are a few start-up plants planned for the near future.

A problem with cellulosics is that the cellulose has to be broken down to release/extract the sugars which can then be fermented into ethanol - in most schemes considered even remotely viable. Most schemes have accepted the need for a two-step process, with seperate digesters and fermenters.

There has been some progress in improving the biological digesters to breakdown cellulosic plants, but most schemes still require a separate fermentation. At least one startup company (there may be a dozen similar ones) has been claiming for about a year now that they believe that within a couple of years they'll have a "superbug" that can digest the cellulose and ferment it all in one jug.

Obviously a single-step process would have significant cost advantages if the yields are high enough - - but we're still waiting for the big announcement.

(Guyman OK is in the west end of the OK panhandle. I haven't been down there recently, but my recollection of the general area is that it's about as "marginal" as land can get. It's possible I missed the good parts though, since I was driving and had to watch the road occasionally the last time I crossed that end of the P-Handle.)

John